PeopleForBikes | Evolving Consumer

School Commute

The nation’s largest bike-to-school challenge will start next Monday. The 7th annual Century Cycles’ Bike to School Challenge will see 4,000 students from six schools try to “rack up” the most bike rides.

The program is sponsored by local retailer Century Cycles with support from Raleigh Bicycles, and this year each rider is eligible to win daily prizes from PeopleForBikes and other gifts from Century Cycles. At the end of the challenge, students are entered to win grand prizes including new bikes from Raleigh. Raleigh is donating one bike per week, either a Talus 3 or Retroglide, to each of the six schools. Raleigh also is hosting a water bottle day with Century Cycles, giving away 700 bottles to participants.

Last year the participating middle school and high school students rode more than 57,627 combined miles, which reportedly added up to 975,000 calories burned as well as $10,125 in saved gasoline. Last year’s participation in the three-week program was up 11 percent of the prior year.

[Via Bicycle Retailer: Nation’s largest bike-to-school challenge starts Monday in Ohio]

Interbike Charges Up

Interbike is still several months away, but the trade show’s organizers are going back east – to New Jersey specifically. Later this month the Interbike and Outdoor Retailer have signed several key brands to participate in Charged Up, a new experiential media event that will bring electric bike and portable outdoor technology brands together with non-endemic consumer and technology print, broadcast and online media. BionX, Prodeco, Pete’s Electric Bike’s, Currie Technologies (izip, eflow, Haibike, Lapierre), Leatherman, Led Lensor, Ascent Solar Technologies/EnerPlex, GoalZero, D.Light Designs, Celliant and many more, have already signed on to participate.

Charged Up is supported by PeopleForBikes, the Outdoor Industry Association and Bicycle Retailer & Industry News. PeopleForBikes and the Outdoor Industry Association will present detailed content outlining trend data as it relates to the ebike and outdoor technology categories. It is a way for the media to test products without having to head out to Las Vegas in September, and it allows them a chance to get truly charged up!

Interbike Official Website

Six More Cities Get Green Lanes

PeopleForBikes – formerly Bikes Belong – has selected six more cities for its Green Lane Project. The bicycle advocacy group will conduct a two-year program to build protected lanes in six new U.S. cities including Boston, Denver, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Seattle. This follows the original Green Lakes Project that brought lanes to Austin, Chicago, Memphis, Portland, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Green lanes are on-street lanes separated from traffic by curbs, planters, parked cars or posts intended to help organize the street and make riding a bike an appealing option for more people.The six cities, which were chosen from more than 100 U.S. cities that submitted letters of interest for the program, will receive financial, strategic and technical assistance to create the lanes.

Green Lane Project Official Website

Lane to Change

PeopleForBikes – formerly Bikes Belong – has announced the Green Lane Project has entered phase 2.0.This month it began accepting applications from U.S. cities hoping to be amongst the next six selected to lead the way in building protected bike lanes.

Launched in 2012, the Project has worked closely with six major U.S. cities –Austin, TX; Chicago, IL; Memphis, TN; Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; and Washington, DC. This project has sped up the installation of protected bikes lanes around the country.

Applications are open from October 18, 2013 through January 2014. Cities should file a letter of intent to apply by November 15, 2013. The six new cities will be announced in Spring 2014. Video after the jump

Join the New Belong

The industry-backed Bikes Belong Foundation has changed its name to PeopleForBikes, and with that the Boulder, Colo., organization is looking to get one million people on board.

“I am for bikes. I’m for long rides and short rides. I’m for commuting to work, weekend rides, racing, riding to school, or just a quick spin around the block. I believe that no matter how I ride, biking makes me happy and is great for my health, my community and the environment we all share. That is why I am pledging my name in support of a better future for bicycling—one that is safe and fun for everyone. By uniting my voice with a million others, I believe that we can make our world a better place to ride.”

Sign the pledge Official Website